The present invention relates to a suction cup device comprised by a fixture that is used, primarily in ordinary households, fastened by way of suction attachment on top of sink cabinets and on bathroom walls.
Most conventional suction cups have a configuration wherein a suction cup support shaft is provided upright in the center of the top face of the suction cup, and pulling force is applied to the suction cup support shaft by way of operating an operation member. Various different configurations have been proposed but in terms of the operation member itself, these can be broadly divided into those of the lever type and those of the screw type. Those of the lever type are configured with the lever pivotably attached so as to be able to turn at the top of the suction support shaft, and pulling force is applied to the suction cup support shaft by turning the lever. Furthermore, with those of the screw type, a male thread is cut into the suction cup support shaft, a female thread is cut into the operation member, and the operation member is screwed onto the suction cup support shaft. Then, the configuration is normally such that pulling force is applied to the suction cup support shaft by rotating the operation member clockwise.
With lever type suction cup devices, turning the lever forward or backward by 90° suffices for attachment, and therefore the work can be performed quickly. Accordingly, this has the advantage of convenience when it is necessary to change the mounting of the suction cup device frequently. However, because the base of the lever is pivotably attached to the suction cup support shaft that is provided upright in the center of the top face of the suction cup, the position in which the lever is attached is the approximate center of the top face of the suction cup, and the lever will turn around this attachment position. Consequently, there are limits on the use of the top face of lever type suction cup device, due to the presence of the lever, and thus fixture members comprised by fixtures equipped with a suction cup device, such as hanging hooks, for example, can only be provided on the peripheral faces of the suction cup device.
Meanwhile, with screw type suction cup devices, the peripheral face of operation member, which is the screw fastener, is gripped by the fingers from the side of the screw fastener and the operation member is rotated, and therefore the use of the top face of the suction device is not limited, and hanging hooks and the like can be provided on the top face of the suction cup device. However, because the suction cup support shaft is pulled by way of rotating the operation member, which is the screw fastener, the pitch of the thread must be small in order to produce a large force, and therefore it is necessary to turn the operation member many times in order to fully attach the suction cup. Consequently, considerable time is required to complete the attachment work. If the mounting of the fixture will not be changed once it has been attached, for example, such as in the case of a bathroom shower mount, even if considerable time is required for the attachment work, this will not be seen as a particular inconvenience. However, if this is used for fixtures that are attached in different places each time that they are used, and therefore the mounting of suction cup device must be frequently changed, it is inconvenient to spend time and effort each time that the mounting work is performed.